


Hiding In Plain Sight

by glitterlarentsx



Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, Larry Stylinson - Fandom, Louis Tomlinson - Fandom, One Direction
Genre: BDSM, F/M, Harry Styles - Freeform, Liam Payne - Freeform, Louis Tomlinson - Freeform, M/M, Niall Horan - Freeform, Smut, Sophia Smith - Freeform, larry stylinson smut, one direction - Freeform, one direction smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-11 02:41:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5610850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitterlarentsx/pseuds/glitterlarentsx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis Tomlinson, a stubborn, witty, and clever 24 year old man from Doncaster, lands a job as an assistant to the head of the UK's most successful business, Styles Inc., at the request of his closest friend, Liam Payne. Harry Styles, the creator of Styles Inc., is a handsome, mysterious, controlling 21 year old from Holmes Chapel, famously known for being a womanizer. After hiring Louis as his assistant, he seems to develop a strange attraction that he can't shake. Beginning to question himself, Harry goes to great measures to ensure no one else around him does, hurting both Louis and himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Update: Sidetracked, yet again. Don't worry, another chapter will be coming soon! (3/3)

     “You need to go to this interview, Louis.”  
     “I’d rather not be anyone’s intern or assistant. You know me.”  
     Louis looked at his closest friend, Liam, who was staring back at him with his eyebrows raised.  
     “Unless you want to be working a low paying job and getting behind on rent every month, I’d suggest going to the interview. Besides, the flyer said it’s not that hard of a job. You’d probably just be sitting there looking pretty, anyways. Rich business, you know.”  
     Louis groaned and rubbed his face, glancing at his phone. Not a single text from Adam, Louis’ fling. They’d hooked up a couple nights before and he hadn’t heard anything since. He thought Adam had interpreted his intentions in a way that would only be temporary, but he hasn’t been able to get the almost too perfect man out of his head since they’d first met. Whereas Adam is more of a hook-up guy, Louis is after a relationship with him.  
     “Louis?”  
     “Yeah, what time is the interview?” Louis sighed, looking back at Liam and leaning his head on his closed fist.  
     “In about an hour and a half. Is that enough time to flip your hair a few times and put on something other than sweat pants and a tee shirt?” Liam poked, chuckling at Louis’ all-day attire. And, well, all-night.  
     “Ah, think we’re being funny, are we, Liam?” Louis laughed and got up as if getting ready to fight. “You don’t want to start this war, mate.”  
     “Alright, alright. I’ve got to get going, anyways. I’ve got a job to show up for.”  
     Louis raised a middle finger at Liam and shook his head. He walked Liam to the door, shoving him out the doorway. “Bye, arse! I’ll be sure to trash your room before you get back.”  
     Liam waved behind him without looking back and got into his car, pulling out of the driveway and speeding down the road. Louis shut the door and locked it, heading upstairs to the bathroom for a shower. He glanced at Liam’s room and then back at his, smirking at the difference. What a mess.  
     After showering, styling his hair, and shaving, Louis stood in front of his closet and pondered what he should wear for the interview. He picked up his phone to text Liam.  
     “What company is this for again? I don’t know what to wear”  
     He sat on the bed and waited for a response.  
     “Styles Inc very flashy”  
     “So what should I wear?”  
     “Do you want the job?”  
     “What do I wear Liam?”  
     “Suit and tie mate, ask for Harry Styles”  
     “Of course”  
     “Good luck!!”  
     “Don’t text and drive”  
     Louis threw his phone on the bed and slowly turned to face his closet. He knew he’d have to dig for it, but he didn’t think it would take long to find it. Fifteen minutes later, after fixing his hair again and standing in front of the mirror, he was dressed in his suit and dress shoes.  
     “Nah, too much,” he muttered, removing the silk white tie that was fastened around his neck. He threw it back into his closet and looked again. “Good to go.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I hope you're enjoying this so far!
> 
> -Yes, in some ways, I am styling this after Fifty Shades. Some characters are made up, and about 98% of what this fic will contain is all my writing that is not based off of the books. The characters are in a similar position as Christian and Ana, however, their personalities are more alike than their situations. 
> 
> -The plot will be completely different than Fifty Shades. 
> 
> -Thank you so much for reading!

  After parking, Louis headed toward the very large building that stood in front of him. At the bottom, it looked like it was endless. Floor upon floor, the glass building was intimidating. The streets of London were crowded, and people were filing in and out of his destination. He briskly joined into the group of people headed inside.

  He used the bathroom and checked to make sure he still looked fine before heading to the elevator. The man there asked who he was to see, and Louis glanced at his texts, reading off the strange name. The man nodded and pressed a button, motioning for Louis to enter.

  He glanced at the button just before the door shut. Top floor.

  “I’m about to be dealing with an egotistical asshole,” Louis thought to himself. “Inherited the company from his rich daddy.”

  He tapped his foot impatiently, scrolling through his various social medias. The updates from the last football game he missed appeared and he groaned.

  Finally, he reached the top floor and the doors opened slowly. Immediately he could tell that the entire room was modernly furnished and the floor was filled with beautiful brunette secretaries who, oddly, all seemed to be the same height. Abstract paintings lined the walls, and several waiting areas were neatly tucked into corners. He noticed there wasn’t any other person in the room who wasn’t a secretary.

  Hastily, he pulled out his phone to text Liam again.

  “Liam, why is there no one else here”

  “Watched the man put the flyer up and took it right after”

  Louis sighed and rubbed his face in disbelief.

  Another text came in.

  “Smash it”

  “You irritate me”

  “Let me know how it goes, fucker x”

  Louis sighed, shook his head, and slid his phone back into his pocket, noting that he put it on silent. He smoothed down his front and glanced at his reflection on the wall.

  "Hello. May I take your jacket, sir?"

  Louis turned to look at one of the many secretaries on the floor. Brown hair, brown eyes, dark makeup, tall. Although, who isn't taller than Louis? She looked very intimidating.

  "Oh, I'd like to keep it on, thank you," Louis said quickly. "I saw the flyer about an interview here for..." Louis' face flushed red when he realized he had forgotten the name.

  "Mr. Styles. He's currently in an interview at the moment, so would you like to take a seat? It shouldn't be too much longer," she smiled politely.

  "Yeah, sure," Louis smiled back, glancing at the chairs next to him, and then the clock above.

  "Can I interest you in a refreshment? Water, lemonade, coffee?"

  "No, thank you," Louis answered back, taking a seat in his chair.

  "Alright, we'll let you know when Mr. Styles is ready for you."

  With another smile, she returned back to her desk and began her work. Louis shifted uncomfortably in his seat when he realized that his mouth and throat were both dry and he was suppressing a cough.

  "Damn, should have taken that water, idiot," Louis scolded himself in his head.

-

  Minutes passed that felt like hours as Louis fidgeted to keep himself busy and not distracted on his phone. He's learned too many times what impression employers get when they see that at first glance. He looked up from his fingers when he heard the soft clicks of heels coming toward him and stood to greet her.

  "Mr. Styles is free now, would you like me to escort you?"

  "Please," he nodded, and he turned to follow her down a series of corridors.

  One turn after the next, endless hall after endless hall, they turned another corner to a singular hallway. Louis stopped when the secretary stopped, then realized she was motioning him forward, toward the end of the hall. Stepping bedside her to continue, he realized a man was standing just outside.

  "Hello, I'm Harry Styles."


	3. Chapter 3

            Sitting in the chair in front of Mr. Styles’ desk, Louis swallowed quietly and waited for a question to be asked. He was outside the door, talking with the secretary who’d escorted Louis to the office. Even through the extremely large door, he could hear the deep tone of Mr. Styles’ voice. Finally, with a soft whoosh, the door opened and he entered the room, quickly crossing the room and taking a seat at his desk  

            While waiting for him to sort out his paperwork, Louis took advantage of the time and glanced around the room. It smelt like fine leather mixed with wood and mint, a very calming smell. The light shone in his face and he tried not to squint as he returned his focus to his interviewer.

            “Hello,” Harry greeted Louis. “I’m Harry Styles, head of Styles Incorporated.”

            He reached across the desk to shake Louis’ hand and he did his best to give a firm handshake.

            “I’m Louis Tomlinson,” he responded. Louis scolded himself for sounding shy and quiet, quickly noticing the slight eyebrow raise from Harry.

            “So, Mr. Tomlinson-“

            “Louis, please.”

            “Harry.”

            Louis nodded and sat up straight.

            “Louis, you’re applying for the position of an assistant here?” he asked, folding his hands together and scooting closer to his desk. He was extremely serious, and his deep voice made him seem more intimidating than he probably should be.

            “Yes. I am,” he answered, adding confidence in his tone.

            “And do you know what you’d be doing as an assistant? Have you ever done any sort of job like that before?”

            Louis swallowed and picked at his thumb without breaking eye contact.

            “Yes, I have,” he stated, glancing away.

            Harry furrowed his brows and licked his lips, letting out a small sigh.

            “You haven’t,” Harry replied in a knowing tone. He clenched his jaw and began filing the papers on his desk into a drawer next to him, straightening his suit jacked when it was all cleared.

            _Fuck, no! I’ve just busted this whole damn thing,_ Louis shouted in his head, beginning to worry.

            “Louis, please tell me about yourself,” Harry said, narrowing his eyes and sitting up straight in his chair.

            “About myself?”

            Harry raised his eyebrows.

            “Right, sorry. Well, my name is Louis Tomlinson. I’m 24, from Doncaster, and I like keeping busy.

            That was a lie.

            “How would you describe your work ethics?”

            “I’d say I’m pretty good at handling myself and picking up after other people, but then I’d sound full of myself, so I’d better just say that I’m alright,” Louis chuckled, smiling wide.

            Harry cracked half a grin and his expression fell in the slightest. He spun around to glace out of the window behind him and then turned back to Louis.

            “Scoot your chair forward,” he ordered.

            Louis noisily moved the chair forward until the sun was out of his eyes and blinked a few time to adjust.

            _Holy fuck. I didn’t realize how attractive he was until I was actually able to see him._

            “Better.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Terribly sorry for not updating sooner, been loaded with things to do. I've also been planning the story line and characters. I'll be telling you all the cast soon as well so you can put a face to the name if you'd like. 
> 
> I'm also going to try to find a way to make the text look neater because I'm not liking how the other chapters are looking at the moment. At any rate, I hope you enjoy. Leave comments! :)

“Tell me about yourself,” Harry orders, coming around to sit in the chair next to Louis.

            “I don’t do much of anything, really,” Louis begins. Harry’s face is unchanged, waiting for more. “Well, I live with my mate, Liam. Met him at uni.”

            “University? What did you study?” Harry raises his eyebrows and relaxes in his chair.

            “Well, attempted to study. Mum wanted me to try business,” Louis mumbled, feeling the onset of a blush.

            “I see. Attempted. How far did you get?”

            Louis noticed the slight edge in Harry’s voice and quickly noted to himself to watch what he says. Best to not bring up all the partying.

            “I can’t quite remember, maybe a term in or something,” Louis answered.

            “Okay, now outside of what schooling you’ve had, what else do you do?” Harry inquired, glancing at the clock on the wall in front of him. He bit the inside of his lip and returned his stare to Louis.

            “I enjoy football.”

            “Football? Really?”

            Louis noticed the interest return to Harry’s voice and eyes and mentally gave himself a pat on the back. _Suck this part up for all its worth, Lou_.

            “Yes, sir. I used to play on teams until I was out of school and now it’s just sort of a hobby. Play when I can, watch when I can’t,” Louis explained.

            “Football. I enjoy that as well,” Harry said with a genuine smile.

            _Oh my, this man. Fuck._

            “I’m interested in hiring you, Louis. When can you start?” He asked, glancing at the clock once more.

            “Wait, really?”

            Louis leaned forward and Harry raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

            “I mean, I can start-“

            Louis jumped at the sound of his phone while Harry didn’t move a muscle.

            “I’m so sorry, I could have sworn I set it to silent,” Louis croaked in mortification.

            Harry chuckled and stood up from his seat, stretching and twisting his back from side to side. “Well? Are you going to check who it is?” He asked.

            “No, I’m good. It’s probably just Liam,” Louis dismissed, reaching inside his pocket and sliding the button to silent once more.

            Harry sat at his desk and began typing at his laptop. He was quick; precise. Very few times did he ever have to use the backspace button. He sat upright in his seat to the point where it looked almost painful and barely blinked as he fired away at the keys. Louis tried hard not to stare for too long in case he was caught ogling. He couldn’t take another embarrassment like that today.               

            “You never told me when you’re available to start,” Harry informed Louis, keeping his eyes on the screen.

            “As soon as you need me,” Louis murmured.

            A corner of Harry’s lips pulled up slightly. It was just barely noticeable and Louis probably wouldn’t have caught it if he wasn’t still staring. He waited patiently for Harry to finish his novel.

            “Well, Louis, we’re eager for you to join our team. Please take my email,” Harry started, reaching for a piece of paper and pen. Tearing the sheet in half, he scribbled quickly, and slid it to Louis. Along with it, he handing over the blank piece and the pen. “Please write your email down as well. I will be sending you a document to fill out with personal information so I can have it on file. Following that will be a document that informs you of your role and other necessities involved in your work. Please read it carefully and email if you have questions. I’m up until midnight.”

            Louis stuck the slip of paper in his pocket and stood up, straightening his shirt and moving toward the desk. He scratched his name and email onto the small space and handed it to Harry, who slipped it into a folder and stood up.

            “Thank you very much, sir, I’ll be in contact,” Louis beamed, reaching across to shake Harry’s hand.

            “Our pleasure, rest up for your first day,” Harry returned the smile and shook Louis’s hand firmly, lingering for just a second too much. “I’ll walk you out.”


	5. Chapter 5

Louis headed straight for his room to take the suit off. He stood in front of the mirror, removed his shoes, nearly tripping over the pants trying to get them off, then removed his jacket and shirt. Quickly throwing them in his closet, he rummaged through his drawers trying to find a clean pair of sweats and a tee shirt to wear. At least Liam couldn’t bitch at him now because they’re actually clean clothes.

            Realizing he hadn’t eaten yet, he went to the kitchen to make a small bowl of noodles and butter, a guilty pleasure of his. His mom would make them when his stomach was sore. While waiting for the water to boil, he sat down at the kitchen table and began scrolling through social media.

            “Hey babe, wanna go out tonight?” He typed.

            His friend Blake Disario was his closest female friend. They’d met when he accidentally spit his drink all over her in primary school whilst he was attempting to hit his friend. She hated him at first on the basis of his accident, but they eventually grew to become good friends after discovering how much they had in common.

            “Hey babe, wanna go out tonight? Miss you loads x” He added and sent it.

            They’d gotten off badly the last time they got together because Louis made the foolish mistake of putting Adam before her. Hearing the water boiling, he got up to pour the noodles and finish the cooking.

            Louis sat his bowl down on the table and pressed the home button on his phone. Three notifications displayed: two texts from Blake and an email notification from Styles Inc. Louis’ heart leapt at the sight of the email.

            Quickly sliding to unlock his phone, he opened his messages.

            “Can’t, very tired from school. I miss you loads. x”

            “Well, maybe I could make an exception… will there be drinks? x”

            Louis smiled and typed his response.

            “There may, do I love you that much though?”

            Waiting on Blake’s text, he moved to his email from Mr. Styles.

“Louis,

We are very pleased to have you as a part of Styles Incorporated. The documents I’ve requested you fill out are attached at the bottom of this email. I suggest you study them closely and make notes if you have to; we do not tolerate several small mistakes that could have easily been avoided had the paperwork been read. As always, direct your questions toward me and all will be answered if they’re asked before 10:00 pm.

Regarding your second interview, please let me know at your convenience when you’re available to come in. Preferably sometime in the near future if it’s available.

Thank you.

Harry Styles,

Owner, Styles Incorporated.”

            Louis read the email over and over again. Clicking the documents to get a preview on his phone wasn’t working very well, so he’d have to either print the pages out or fill them out digitally. Realizing his noodles were beginning to cool, he took a bite and hastily began to respond.

“Mr. Styles,

I’ll be sure to get these to you as soon as I can. As for the interview, I’m available Wednesday. Would that work for you?

-Louis”

            He finished off his noodles and got up to rinse his bowl out. Halfway through filling the dishwasher, he heard his phone ding. He finished loading, cleaned up the counters from his countless crumbs, another of Liam’s pet peeves, and returned to his phone.

            “I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t!”

            He chuckled and texted her back.

            “Fair enough. Where at?”

            “Shall we go out to a club?” she texted back.

            “I’m up for it. I’ll swing by to pick you up around 9. Make yourself hot. ;) x”


	6. Chapter 6

            After eating dinner and touching up a bit, Louis dressed himself in a tight white v-neck shirt, black skinny jeans, and black Toms. He slid on his jacket just before heading out the door and checked to make sure his phone was charged and in his pocket, then he patted to find his wallet. Seeing that he was on 73%, he ran back to his room to grab his charger just in case.

            Stopped at a red light, Louis quickly dialed Blake’s number, put it on speakerphone, and set the phone carefully on his lap. 3 rings in, she picked up.

            “Hey, Lou! You on your way?”

            “Yeah, I’m about 15 minutes from your place. Are you ready?”

            “Just about, haven’t finished drowning myself in perfume,” She joked.

            “Funny. Are you trying to kill everyone there?” Louis poked, chuckling. He held onto the phone as he made a left turn.

            “That’s my daily goal, world domination. Rather, club domination.”

            “Well, I guess club domination is a reasonable place to start,” he laughed. “Hey, no drinks before we get there. I’m gonna get you smashed,” Louis promised.

            There was a brief silence and a barely audible giggle from the phone.

            “Well, I can either lie by saying I haven’t had anything or we can pretend I didn’t just have 2 glasses of champagne.”

            Louis suppressed a grin and sighed. Hearing the silence coming from Louis’s end, Blake began laughing, and so did he. Her laugh was one of Louis’s favorites.

            “Okay, bitch, no more!” Louis ordered. “I expect to see you believably sober in about 10 minutes, hear?”

            “Yes, sir,” She dragged out, loudly slurping and gulping a drink into the phone.

            He hung up and set his phone in the cup holder upside down, plugging the charger in with one hand. His phone vibrated as soon as he put his hands back on the wheel but he figured it could wait until he was safely at Blake’s. Quickly weaving through traffic, he sped ahead so they could get to their favorite club, Rivalry, before any lines began to thicken. Granted, it was a Monday, and he did have a few connections there, but best to play it safe.

            Pulling into Blake’s drive, he swung around and laid on his horn until she appeared in the doorway. She began frantically waving her hands and signaling for him to cut it out, so he rolled down the windows and began beeping the horn in bursts.

            “I’ll stop when you get in the car!” He shouted at her.

            “Stop it, dickhead, you’re going to make the neighbors hate me!” She called back, struggling to lock the door. Her dog was trying to shove his way out to see Louis.

            “That’s alright, they don’t pay your rent, love!” He laughed.

            She finally got the door locked and shoved her keys in her clutch, running down the stairs in her stilettos to meet Louis. He watched in awe as she flawlessly moved down the sidewalk without getting tripped up on the edges of the brick. He couldn’t even imagine being able to walk in those things, let alone run or dance.

            She slid into the car and slapped Louis’s hands off the horn, kissing him on the cheek and rolling her window up. Louis observed her up and down, and noticed she was wearing the dress he’d gifted to her as a twenty-first birthday present. This girl does not grow at all. It was a slim fit matte black dress with shiny black around the edges and had black lace from the top of her chest up to just below her neck and on her shoulders. Her hair was in an up-do and she’d done her makeup dark with a red lip.

            “Good enough for you, my liege?” She poked, jokingly caressing his thigh and batting her eyelashes.

            Louis feigned disgust and leaned back, looking her up and down.

            “Well, I mean, if you wanna get laid by Bigfoot tonight instead of Johnny Depp, it’s perfect,” he teased, pretending to gag.

            She swatted at his arm and flipped him off, turning the radio up.

            “Drive, Louis, finals are soon and I want to get drunk.”

            They parked across the street at a bank that was getting ready to close for the night and headed over to Rivalry. The lines weren’t too bad, however, Louis had grown impatient on the car ride there. It’d been a long time since he’d been there. He decided to check the back employee door first to see if someone he knew was on duty.

            Louis walked up the stairs and helped Blake up because they were a bit too high for her dress to easily move in. He thumped loudly on the door, hoping someone familiar would answer and not some new guy.

            The door creaked open and a man with black hair, blue eyes, and a bouncer shirt on stuck his head out- Thomas. He immediately gave a warm smile to the both of them and stepped out, leaving a small rock in the door so it wasn’t noticeable from the inside that the door was still open.

            “Louis, mate, how have you been?” he greeted, embracing Louis in a quick hug and turning toward Blake to shake her hand. “And who is this lovely lady? Your new girlfriend?” He asked with a serious face, then they all burst into laughter.

            “Good one, good one, that’s funny,” Louis raised his eyebrows and jabbed him in the arm. “This is my good friend Blake, she’s been here before but I don’t think you met her last time, Rob must have been in or something.”

            “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Blake! You’re of age, right?” he asked.

            Blake’s physique does make her look very young, she’s heard that a million times over.

            “Yes, I’m all good. Me last birthday was 4 months ago,” she assured him.

            “Alright, you two, go on in. Good to see you again, mate,” he gushed, patting Louis on the back and opening the door for them.


	7. Cast/Facepage [Not a chapter]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This page will be updated as I go through the story, I don't want to give too much away by showing all the characters.  
> Thanks for reading! x

          Harry Styles, himself                                  Louis Tomlinson, himself                                  Niall Horan, himself                                      Liam Payne, himself

                                              

 

     Jericho Barrons, Adam Luhn                                 Sophia Smith, herself                          Emily Didonato, Blake Disario

                          


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4.8.16: So, I went to update, only to discover that the Word document I was using to write and edit has become corrupted and I can't access it. I'm currently trying ways I think will work to recover it, but I've not had any luck so far. Here's to hoping. I'm dreading losing hours of work put in. :(

                Louis weaved through the crowd to the neon lit bar, dragging Blake behind him. She was taking a good look around, assessing the party, and squeezing his hand for dear life so as not to get lost in the sea of people. He turned the bar stool around for her to sit and helped her up onto it, turning her around after she was seated and hoisting himself up after.

                “What can I get you?” The bartender asked, setting up two glasses in front of him and throwing a towel over his shoulder. His sleeves were pushed up and he wore thickly rimmed glasses with a medium length beard taking up most of his face.

                “I’ll have a Rusty Nail, please,” Louis requested, turning to Blake.

                “Damn, getting right to the point!” She exclaimed. “I’ll have a Mimosa, please.”

                Louis shook his head in disdain at Blake as the bartender swiftly threw things together.

                “You claim you want to get fucked up tonight, yet you start light!” Louis shouted over the music. “What’s the deal with that?”

                Blake began spinning in her chair and shoved Louis’s so he spun a little as well.

                “I’m starting off light so I can actually remember the first part of my night, amateur,” she yelled back.

                “Amateur!” he scoffed. “You’re looking at a professional right here. I’ll down a drink  _and_ keep it down faster than you can blink. However, for  _my_  first half of the night, I’d like to enjoy taste and not sensation.”

            “Good for you,” She said sarcastically, patting him on the back. She tapped her foot impatiently and looked back toward the bartender.

            Louis bounced to the music as he waited shortly for his drink to be made. There were plenty of good looking men in the club tonight, surprisingly. There were a few dancing with each other, some wandering through the crowd with a drink in their hand, others sitting in booths sipping their drinks and observing. Louis hoped to be within the crowd or with someone else by the end of the night to get his mind off of Adam. Last time he and Blake were here, he had left with someone else, and she said she didn’t mind. With Adam not answering him? He was definitely going to move on tonight.

            Finally, his drink was in front of him and he threw it back. He felt the burn go down his throat and closed his eyes, absorbing the stinging. After signaling for another one, he slid the glass back and looked at Blake, who was smiling and taking a drink of her Mimosa.

            “How’s the orange juice?” Louis asked, wiping his mouth.

            “Quite delicious, actually,” She informed him, taking another small drink.

            Louis threw back another shot and sat in his seat for a moment. Louis noticed Blake was staring into the crowd closely and attempted to see where she was looking, but the song changed and the crowd morphed into a new abstract shape.

            “I’d like Absinthe this time, please,” Louis shouted over his shoulder at the man and continued scanning the crowd. “What are you looking at?”

            “I think I just saw someone we know.”

            “Who?” Louis asked, squinting his eyes. The lights began to strobe and he shut his eyes tightly, trying to adjust them.

            “No one for now, just keep drinking,” She instructed, winking at him and sliding his glass with new drink forward.

            “Fair enough,” He laughed, clinking his glass with her empty one.

            “Chug!” She yelled.

            He threw it back in one big gulp and set his glass down, cringing at the taste. When he glanced up at her, she was staring at him with a curious look on her face.

            “That wasn’t chugging,” She accused. “You’re weird.”

            “I want to dance,” Louis informed her, grabbing her hand and dragging her to the floor.

            Louis bounced around to the beat of the music, playfully grinding on Blake and pulling in other strangers. They would merge back into their crowd and Louis and Blake would continue dancing. The song ended and he felt a brief spell of vertigo before retaining himself. He brought Blake into a hug and stayed for a minute, waiting for the nausea to subside. The lights mixed with the alcohol and dancing made him a bit dizzy, and the leftover taste from the Absinthe wasn’t helping one bit.

            “You okay?” Blake questioned, trying to glance at Lou’s face.

            “Yeah,” Louis answered. “Yeah, I’m alright. Just a little dizzy.”

            Blake began rubbing his shoulders, leading him to a booth to sit down and cool off. He had a fairly heavy amount of sweat on his forehead and his face was beginning to pale. Sliding into a booth, he closed his eyes and pulled his legs up to his chest, laying his head in between his knees.

            “Water?” Blake asked.

            He nodded and wiped the sweat off his head. This wasn’t like him to feel ill so early into drinking. He watched Blake make her way over to the bar, order his water, and point at him whilst saying something else. She pointed to her stomach while looking at him and he nodded back, making a gesture with his hands to tell her that his stomach was just a little nauseous. When she turned back to the bar, he rested his head on his knees again, attempting to drown out the music.

            “So I guess you’re straight now?”

            The voice took a minute to register due to his intoxication, then it finally clicked. Louis glanced up to see Adam standing in front of the table.


End file.
